CNF wetsuit combinations

[Pinniped72]

Hello to all I normally spearfish but the DIRE vis of late (ok months) has got me exceptionally interested in CNF, if I stay out of the sea for too long I get low and that will just not do, so I have recently started CNF in a small way and intend to carry it further. However I can not afford to buy gear that is not suitable for it, to not get wet every weekend, so my question is what wetsuit and glove combinations do you find effective and at what times of the year are they suitable. I currently use a 5mm open cell interior Cressi spearfishing wetsuit and find it flexible enough to do the stroke and have my self weighted ok with it, so for now it will do. I also use 5mm diving gloves and there is the rub, they are almost like wearing webbed gloves and although I move a lot of water with them I pay the price with resistance and all the issues that brings. What do you use for gloves in the winter and are there more suitable wetsuit options out there for winter CNF?

I have never had a triathlon wetsuit and have no idea how warm they are, does anyone have any idea how long through a UK year you could use something like the Orca open water wetsuit for CNF and is that particular Orca wetsuit suitable for CNF, my instincts tell me that it would be ok but I am uninitiated in all things triathlon wetsuits for CNF. p.s. the child in me has always wanted a wetsuit with Orca written on it

 

[growingupninja]

Wearing gloves and booties is a lot of drag when doing CNF, not recommended, even in cold climates, you just try to learn to deal with it.

You could get a 5mm smoothskin open cell from Elios, I think custom is worth the money. I wear one for winter line diving and for deep spearfishing. Off the rack spearing suits never have the shoulder mobility that you want for CNF. You just need to be careful with smoothskin but it can hold up to spearing--some kneeling and bottom crawling although I would not think of wearing one for lobster diving or shorediving rocky/rough spots.

I haven't worn a tri suit but they are frequently designed to be bouyant in the chest, bad for freediving.

 

[Pinniped72]

Many thanks for the advice, I have to say my biggest issue were the gloves, they were adding way too much resistance to my arm strokes, I was having to work way too hard. Also were I am, the current moves along the coast rapidly at times so any diving I do involves a lot of swimming which is ok when spearfishing having the old fins on but not so without the fins, swimming with 5mm diving gloves is tiring, well at my age anyway!